Blackbird
by atlas aire
Summary: A person can experience the same thing and gain a different lesson from it. Kurt and Wanda are a testimate to that. Kurt/Wanda
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **X-Men: Evolution and any other Marvel characters mention/included in this fic belong to their respective owners. Which isn't me. I'm not making money from this fic. I'm not making money at all at this current juncture.

**Notes:**This isn't going to be a fic filled with a lot of fluff. And the romance is going to take a backseat to a lot of other factors. There will be swearing (though not excessive amounts) and there will be violence (but with good reason). I completely understand if you don't want to read this, and I'm completely and utterly grateful if you do. Also, in the series, I got these seriously bad vibes from Xavier – before he was replaced by Mystique. The man's incredibly manipulative on the show. No lie, watch some of the eps. So in this story, I'm going to slowly bring that part of him to the others' attention. You're not innocent Xavier! _I see right through you._

_

* * *

  
_

**Blackbird**

Chapter 1: Rain

Rain wasn't a thing Wanda liked. The sound of thunder made her jumpy and scared. Usually, when it rained in Bayville, Wanda would just hide out in her room and wait it out. Her brother would her discomfort, and he would always come into her room and comfort her but recent events changed that. Right now, she was fighting with her brother and at at the moment, she was hiding inside an abandoned building. Pietro didn't know where the building was and even if he did, Wanda really doubted that he would even come for her.

Another round of thunder was heard over head and Wanda found herself crouching down in response. She wished it was those types of light rains, she could stand those, those didn't bring thunder. Those didn't bring raindrops that felt like hail and pins. Wanda shivered, cold. Those types of rain showers didn't make her feel alone.

She could see the puffs of air she was releasing with every breath she took. Her trench coat was sticking very closely to her back and her head hurt. Wanda scooted herself back until she was backed into a corner. Wanda brought her knees up and hugged her legs, wishing she never left the boarding house.

She just wanted some fresh air. Pietro was being unreasonable and Toad kept butting in where he wasn't needed. To the young mutant's credit, he was simply trying to help Wanda. But the idiot wasn't well equipped to debate against to the man known for his silver tongue. Wanda shivered. She should have just went upstairs to her room. Locked the door or something, so she could calm herself down then. She could have even went to take a shower if she wanted to feel fresh. She could have lurked out in the backyard for a bit anything but this.

She heard the sound of creaking from above her, the metal from the building must have been deteriorating or something. Wanda thought of going outside and finding better shelter before another crack of thunder was heard, louder and angrier than the last. This time she saw the light from the lightning. Wanda heard herself gasp in fear and she buried her head in arms rocking slightly. She didn't like the rain. She couldn't stand it.

More creaking was heard above her and she wasn't getting any more dry. The wind was blowing through the building, making Wanda shiver even more. She could wait it out, she told herself. She could wait it out. The creaking grew louder and closer and Wanda found herself whimpering this time. Her heart rate was speeding up and she couldn't calm herself down and she was so very close to crying.

There was a loud thump heard right above her and Wanda clenched up, afraid. More creaking was heard this time and Wanda let her tears drop. There was an obvious temperature difference between the tears running down her cheeks from the raindrops running down her back. Another thump was heard this time, right in front of her and Wanda closed her eyes and physically drew herself in, trying to make herself smaller. She knew she should have at least raised her head or powered up when she heard the light footfalls. But she was panicking and her instinct was simply telling her to run and hide. Wanda found herself angry at herself for being so weak.

The footfalls grew closer and Wanda tensed up further, if possible.

A hand was laid on her shoulder cautiously. Instead of feeling five fingers lightly grasping her shoulder, Wanda felt three big digits, that were abnormally warm. Wanda looked up, shocked.

"Wanda?"

She tried to look a little bit dignified. Her body tensed up a little bit more to hide the shivering, and she clenched her jaw to keep her lip from trembling. But Wanda wasn't as trained as her brother when it came to fully hiding those strong emotions. She looked away from him and focused on a spot beside him. She did not want to see pity from an X-Man.

The hand on her shoulder was firm now as it trailed up to her forehead. Wanda shivered at the contrast between his warm hand and her cold body. She made no other move of acknowledgment.

"Mein Gott, Wanda," he whispered, "you're freezing."

She glared at him at the comment. _That's kind of what happens when you sit outside in the fucking rain for a long time, genius_, she thought. If it was possible, she would have pressed herself even closer into the corner. She opened her mouth to speak, but the thunder interrupted her train of thought. Another whimper escaped Wanda and the shivering returned full force. She looked down to gaze at the top of her knees, afraid. Her weak facade of coolness was gone.

She saw him look away from her, probably in thought then he turned back to her, understanding in her eyes. She would of turned away like the last time but she saw that there really was none of that pity she thought she would see in those yellow eyes, just simple understanding and concern. Wanda's jaw tightened at another sound of thunder. He seemed to notice the subtle movement and he tilted his head in thought.

His arms wrapped around her as best he could. And then the scene in front of her changed. Then changed again a few times before stopping behind a smaller building. Wanda was glad that she was still crouched down and encased in the other mutant's arms; she felt sick at the moment, dizzy, and she just needed a balance. She felt a bit feverish and was close to throwing up.

"Slow breaths," he instructed softly, "you'll feel better in a moment."

The rain was welcome as the raindrops beat down on her back. It was cooling her body right now as she followed the man's instructions. She noticed that the rain didn't feel like hail and that she couldn't hear thunder. She did hear people talking nearby, laughing and enjoying themselves and the sound of splashing water. Where where they?

Slowly, she was eased on to her feet. Wanda was still dizzy and really did need support so the hand on her hip and shoulder was a great help. She was still a bit disoriented, but she was glad to know she didn't have double vision. She looked around, seeing the small, one floor buildings. To her right, she could see a street, there was two cars passing by and if she focused carefully, she could see a small group of people drinking outside. That must have been the laughing and splashing from before. She looked up, and the rain hit her face but it wasn't the pain inducing hail rain. To her left, Wanda was met with a lot of trees. There were at the woods?

Wanda looked at the man in question and he simply nodded his head towards the woods. They were going to walk through the woods then. Slowly, Wanda let him lead her in the right direction with his arm on her shoulder and his tail wrapped around here waist. Once they were far enough, he started talking.

"I really just wanted a moment of peace," he told her. Wanda wondered if he was blaming her in his mind.

"It's kind of our day off, you know," he continued, "but they still want me to do things. 'Kurt can you 'port us here?' 'Kurt can you help us with this?' 'Kurt? Kurt? Kurt?'" Wanda didn't speak, but she wanted to tell him that he had that one coming. They were all asking him to do these things, he could have said no. Almost as if he was reading her mind, Kurt shrugged.

"I can't really say no to them," Kurt told her, "and I don't mind that much..." Wanda almost shook her head at his attempt to rationalize his actions. If he didn't mind, he wouldn't be out here, now would he?

"But today," he continued, "today is sort of a me day." He grinned at her, and Wanda simply stared back. She could understand that. Lance had those types of days, where he just didn't want to deal with the people and he just left. She was sort of having one of those days. Everyday was one of those days for Wanda.

Wanda looked up at his hair and noticed that it was cut short. Really short. Wanda didn't know how she missed it the first time; his hair was down to her shoulders last time she saw him. Kurt drew his eyes up, trying to see what she was staring at before he realize that it was his hair. He laughed a bit, then ran his freehand through it.

"People kept playing with it," he explained, "Jubilee actually braided it once! So I cut it." Wanda smiled at that. It was something Pietro did to Lance every other day. Kurt frowned a bit.

"They still play with it. Now more than ever." And Wanda almost found herself grinning, expecting him to say that. Kurt caught her expression, and he gave her a mock scowl.

"Don't look at me like that!"

And then Wanda grinned.

**OoOoO**

The mansion was quiet. Which Wanda supposed was kind of peculiar, considering how many people must have lived here. She was calm now, and a bit warm though her feet were kind of numb. Kurt gave her the proper distance as he shook himself off, an action that Wanda didn't normally see. When Kurt looked at Wanda, he gave her a sheepish smile and a shrug.

Standing from her spot in the welcome area, Wanda looked at the institute. The last time she had been here was after Apocalypse. And even then, she stayed outside on the backyard. Back then, she really didn't care about the place, but now that she was paying it more attention, Wanda felt a bit small. There was intricate designs on the wall, and the stairs that she guessed led to the rooms seemed to shine. She didn't know wood could shine.

And aside from the puddle that she created, a the splatters of water that Kurt spread around with his shaking, the place was clean. And it gave off that homey quality. She would never say it out loud, but Wanda was a bit jealous. The only clean thing in the boarding house was Pietro and Wanda's room and the only thing that was worth money in that place was an antique lamp in Mystique's abandoned room. And Pietro stole that. Everything else of proper value was pawned off.

She frowned at the thought of her home. Would the boys even worry about her? Would her brother? She looked down, knowing damn well what the answer was to that question.

A hand lightly, cautiously touched her back. Wanda raised her head to look at Kurt. He was still wet, but not as damp as before. He smiled at her and tilted it a bit. Wanda was positive that the smile was fake this time. She narrowed her eyes a bit, wondering what was going through his head.

"Why don't we go into the kitchen," Kurt suggested, "we can wait out the rain and then you can go home, ja?"

Wanda looked away and nodded.

She was lead into the kitchen and Wanda saw that there was a lady by the stove humming. The woman's white hair seemed to bounce every time she moved and Wanda smiled a bit, reminded of some jumbled memory. Kurt let out a little hum of joy and the lady tilted her body towards them a bit, still not turning around.

"So I know that it's not you who's giving us this weather," Kurt said with a laugh, and Wanda suddenly remembered who this woman was. The one with the ability to manipulate weather. At the little celebration after Apocalypse, she was the one who was sitting back and looking at them with a warm smile as she spoke with the other adults.

"Oh no, Kurt. This type of weather is all over the country," she said, "Not even I have the ability to do that."

Kurt pulled out the chair for Wanda and she quietly sat, choosing to observe for the moment. Kurt was perched on a stool beside her. His tale was waving in a slow motion, like a pendulum.

"Where are the others," Kurt asked as Wanda took off her trench coat. She crinkled her nose a bit at the water that spread there and gave a full on frown at the trail of water that she obviously made.

"Ah, the young mutants just started training with Logan, Scott and Jean are on a date, I believe. Rogue is having another session with the Professor and I don't know where Kitty went," she answered, slowly turning around.

"Oh," she gave a surprised gasp at Wanda.

Wanda refused to bite her lip. She was nervous, afraid that she would be turned away. She took a slow breath, calming herself. It was an irrational fear that she had, being left alone. She looked down at the table in front of her, unable to speak.

"You remember Wanda, Ororo," Kurt said.

"Ah yes," she answered, as if she wasn't surprised before and that this was just a normal occurrence.

"Magneto's daughter, right," Ororo asked, looking at her. And for some reason, that made Wanda scowl. She nodded nonetheless.

"We ran into each other in the rain," Kurt explained, "and she really didn't have a way to go home... so I suggested that she stay here. Just until the rain let up."

Wanda didn't miss the words Kurt chose to use and was more than grateful for that. It was bad enough that she was crying in front of an X-Man, she didn't want to pitied by their leaders.

Ororo looked at Wanda for a moment, a contemplative look on her face. Then she smiled. Wanda relaxed.

"Well let me get a towel for the both of you," Ororo said with a smile. She went over to take Wanda's trench coat. Wanda gripped one of it's sleeves, narrowing her eyes a bit.

"We have a dryer here, and your coat is still dripping," she said. Reluctantly, Wanda let the woman take it. There was nothing in there of dyer importance anyway. Still, it was her favorite coat.

The white haired woman disappeared and Wanda was left in the room with Kurt. She glanced out the window. The rain looked like it was letting up so she wouldn't be here longer than necessary.

From the corner of her eye, she saw that Kurt was observing her movements. His yellow eyes seemed to glow a bit. Wanda turned her head to give him her full attention. Kurt sat perched there, expression unreadable. She tilted her head a bit, trying to get a good look at his pointed ears. It wasn't something she focused on a lot, appearances. She wasn't the type to date (or serial date, like her twin), so she never really focused that much on the stuff. There was that guy at the ski resort. But he turned out to be Toad, so that didn't count. Ugh, why was she even thinking of that now?

Her eyes trailed down, to his tail. In response, the tail switched out of it's movements and swished a bit. Wanda smiled, it was like it was waving at her. Wanda heard footfalls and looked away to see Ororo coming in with towels.

"Fresh from the dryer," she said as she handed them the towels. Ororo left again, with the promise of her return.

Wanda got one huge towel, and she used that one to wrap around herself, following Kurt's example, and she used the smaller hand towel for her face. Her makeup was running, she realized with a frown. Probably why Kurt wouldn't stop staring at her and why Ororo was looking at her like she had risen from the dead at first glance.

"Waterproof my ass," she muttered, a bit peeved. She paid ten dollars for that makeup.

"And she speaks!" Wanda gave Kurt a glare before hiding her face in the towel, groaning a bit. Kurt laughed at Wanda.

And that was Professor Xavier was introduced to when he came into the kitchen.

**OoOoO**

Wanda seemed to sense him before she actually saw him. For a woman with such an expressive face, her mind seemed completely guarded. It was peculiar though, when Wanda looked at him, she honestly didn't seem to remember him. Xavier smiled warmly at both teens, giving them a greeting. Kurt replied in kind but Wanda kept quiet.

Xavier never did have a chance to talk to her after her escape from the asylum to see on her progress. He didn't worry about her simply because Kurt's description of the events that happened after the bridge fire implied that Wanda and her father were on better terms. He silently asked Kurt why she was here and Kurt showed him the events leading to this moment without any hesitation. Absently, he noted that Wanda still had that fear of thunder.

Ororo came in again, all smiles with Wanda's jacket and her attention was drawn away from him. Xavier used this time to try to enter the young woman's mind.

Her mental defenses reminded Xavier of Wolverine. Logan's shields were stronger, obviously, but the similarities were hard to ignore. Logan's shields weren't put there by the man himself, but by someone else, just like Wanda's. There was the fear that her mind, her memories, may have been tapered with.

Wanda showed no outward signs of discomfort, but her mind was kicking Xavier out now. Full of anger. There was a darkness in her mind that bore a familiar tone to Xavier. Xavier left her mind and gave the young man sitting next to her a glance. He glanced back, ignorant to what was happening right now as Ororo handed him a cup of tea. Xavier took the cup that Ororo offered with a grateful smile.

Wanda pushed herself back from the table and stood up. Her mind was projecting all types of hostile thoughts towards Xavier and he physically pulled away in apology.

"_I am sorry,"_ he told her through his telepathy.

He couldn't give his reasons right then, unfortunately. Wanda was a very volatile woman before and after she escaped, and telling her that her mind may have been tampered with may bring her back to that persona. Or worse.

"_Just stay out of my head," _she replied, not looking at him as she slipped on her coat. From the corner of his eye, Xavier noticed that some of the objects behind Ororo were moving just a bit. Kurt glanced at him, noticing it as well.

"I think I should go," Wanda said. Ororo frowned and tilted her head in concern.

"The rain hasn't let up," Ororo pointed out, "shouldn't you wait? Or maybe we can give you a ride?"

"No," she shook her head, "it's okay. It's not raining as hard as it was before. I'll live."

"Well at least wait a moment," Ororo insisted, "I'll get you an umbrella."

Something of a blank expression crossed Wanda's face before she nodded. Ororo slipped out and returned just as quickly with a navy blue umbrella in hand. Wanda took it and looked a bit lost with what to say. Ororo simply laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Be safe, child."

Wanda nodded dumbly and slowly left the room, not giving the other men parting glances.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes:** First off, I'd like to give major thanks to my beta, Alex, who went through so much hell editing this chapter it's not even funny. And two, look! Not dead! I've written ahead, so I'm about five/six chapters ahead of this one, and I plan on finishing this one, so don't worry about me dropping off the face of the planet or something. And three, THANK YOU, REVIEWERS, READERS, AND EVERYONE WHO HAS THIS ON THEIR ALERT/FAVOURITE LIST. :) You guys make my day so much better knowing that people are still interested in this and even decided to look at my other work. Also, I'm working on archiving my other stories on livejournal, in case something should happen to this site or the stuff on my comp (heaven forbid).

* * *

**Blackbird**

Chapter 2: Out

At night, Kurt sat awake in his bed. He would have been asleep, but, at the moment, for some reason he was just too wired. Kurt sighed and climbed out of bed; there had to be a better way to get rid of all of his extra energy.

The gym had practically been his best friend when he first came to the institute. On those few nights before he was enrolled in school, he would always workout to the point where he would pass out. The only thing so unappealing about the gym was its clock. There was a clock right above the exit of the gym that ticked loudly. It was the only traditional clock in the mansion (that Kurt knew of) and the ticking just annoyed him. He used to port the clock out into some different location, and sometimes he would even destroy it, but it somehow always found its way back to its place right above the exit of the gym.

Kurt ported in front of the gym with something of a nostalgic smile on his face. He hadn't been inside the gym in such a long time. To his credit, the gym was a cakewalk compared to the sessions run by Logan that he had been taking lately.

He entered the gym with a smile; the place had Logan's scent all over it.

"Herr Logan would be the only one to workout here, wouldn't he?"

He started with warm up stretches. Those stretches turned into weird contortionist movements. It wasn't something he did often, especially in front of people. Not now anyway. He remembered those days in the circus, when he was cheered on for these acts. The stretches brought him back, and Kurt smiled. They were probably the warmest memories he had of Germany before everything went sour.

Kurt started hitting the punching bag as his memories turned dark. He honestly was happy living with the people at the circus, and his parents as well. They were, after all, his family. There was nothing he wouldn't do for them. Well, except one thing.

He started hitting harder. The people there were never as accepting as his family. Really, he should have known that from the start. The people... they loved to provoke him. Rude words and slurs when their backs were turned (though it was pointless, it all came back to him in the end), the alienation, the abuse. But he should have seen it coming, right from the very start. A person with an appearance like his would never be accepted, not in the way he hope he would. It was the one reason why Kurt wasn't surprised when the town blamed him for what happened to the children and his brother's death.

Kurt frowned hitting the bag harder. He _did_ kill his brother. If Xavier hadn't saved him then, if he had stayed there any longer, he would have suffered execution. But the Professor didn't know what happened on that day. He didn't think so. His parents understood though. What really happened, and they defended him. He didn't know how he would ever repay those three. He voiced those concerns, too, but they all gave him the same response.

"_Just be good, Kurt. Use the opportunities given to you to do good."_

Kurt promised that he would. And, besides a few slip-ups, he kept his promise. The pranks didn't count, not in his mind anyway. Suddenly, Kurt was reminded of Evan, his partner-in-crime. Lord, Kurt missed him. He was hurt when Evan left the first time, and hurt even more when he didn't stay for the celebration after Apocalypse, but Kurt understood what his best friend was going through. Still, without Evan and with Scott having Jean, Kurt was alone now. He didn't know how Logan dealt with that; Kurt was going a bit crazy without a confidant.

He punched harder, using his frustrations as a source of energy now. Sweat was making his fur damp and Kurt knew he had to quit soon; the skin on his knuckles were tearing a bit. Still, Kurt pushed on. He was almost at the point where he would tire out. The adrenaline passed and Kurt was just going on emotion, trying to make his muscles sore to the point where he didn't have to think about his past back in Germany and his future in America. Sore to the point where he didn't have to think.

The skin tore, and Kurt knew he was bleeding now. Still, he punched. His mind was going back to_ that _day. He came here to forget, he needed to forget.

And then Kurt kind of blanked.

His body kept pushing but his mind, it was blissfully empty. He didn't think about Germany, or America, or about the fact that he had school to attend to. He was simply focused on the pain surging from his fists, and the sound of him pounding the punching bag. He continued for a few minutes before he stopped. He grinned a bit, tired but feeling like himself again. His hair was now matted to his head, he was still sweating and now he was panting.

The clock's ticks were in time with his breaths.

**OoOoO**

Kurt was sure he would be tired when he went to his classes the next day, but he wasn't. He really didn't know where this new found energy was coming from but he wasn't going to saying no to it. He sat through his classes, acted normal and chose to walk home this time.

As he left the school grounds, he could see Kitty running up to Lance's jeep, all smiles. He paused for a moment, watching as Lance met Kitty mid run and did a little spin-hug. Then Kurt remembered that Kitty had been grounded the previous week. Of course. The couple needed physical contact as well, didn't they? They shared a kiss and stood there talking for a while. Kurt didn't miss the loving smiles on their faces. He sighed, envious, but then he smiled.

"As long as you're happy, Katzchen," he muttered, and continued his trek.

Lance and Kitty had gotten together during that party celebrating the "death" of Apocalypse. Slowly they tried to build on that very small amount of trust. And slowly, that trust was growing. But as their relationship grew, Kurt's dwindled.

Amanda's family had to move due to the growing anti-mutant sentiments. Her parents feared that since she was (sort of) publicly dating a mutant, that someone would come after her. Kurt understood her parents' worries and didn't protest to her moving. That was mostly because he still thought he would be dating Amanda. He could do long distance. He could do any distance as long as Amanda wanted. Sadly, she didn't.

"_The distance will kill us_," she had said.

Who knows, maybe she was right. It still hurt that she didn't want to try to make it work.

Today was warm and sunny. It was one of those days that reminded Kurt of summer, even though he knew full well it was the beginning of fall. If the changing leaves weren't any indication, the teacher's saying "welcome back to school" constantly for the whole week was. As if _this _school was welcoming.

Kurt checked his watch, he had enough time to walk home without getting in trouble. Logan was assigning more danger room sessions, and Kurt was on the roster today. Kurt looked at his hand with something of a curious look. Technology was fascinating. He opened his palm and then clenched it back into a fist. The pain was still there, but the watch hid everything; the bruises, the fur, the skin. Everything.

Kurt smiled and stuffed his hands into his pockets. He had cleaned up his mess before he left, so he hoped that he wouldn't be questioned about it later. There it was again, that familiar pain of loneliness. Of course nobody would question him on it. They had lives of their own. They didn't need to worry about him. Kurt frowned a bit. That was what he wanted though, wasn't it? To have people leave him alone?

"_Das ist Banane_!" He shook his head. But his frowned deepened.

Maybe _he_ was the one who was crazy. Which would explain him thinking of crazy things.

"But it doesn't just come out of nowhere," he muttered to himself, looking down now. Where would it even come from, this craziness?

He wanted to blame it on his meeting with the Scarlet Witch. She was crazy, wasn't she? But that would be simply unreasonable. And stupid. Her powers weren't like that. So maybe he was crazy from the very beginning, and he was just noticing it now. Kurt shook his head and looked up. He was almost at the institute. He remembered Evan telling him something about craziness once.

"_Best way to tell if a person is crazy is to ask him if he's crazy. If he's like 'yeah, dude! Of course I am!' then he's lying. Because he's sane enough to know what crazy is. The dude who says 'no' is the crazy one. Because a crazy person still thinks he's sane. He doesn't know what crazy is, man. He thinks he's normal. That's how you know if a person is crazy."_

So, if Kurt when by Evan's logic, he wasn't crazy, just paranoid. Of course, paranoia could be a sign of insanity as well. They gave people medication for that kind of stuff.

Kurt sighed.

No, he wasn't crazy.

**OoOoO**

"Barking dogs don't bite," Kurt taunted Logan from above him. Jean was hiding behind one of the crates, trying to make her way to the goal. Wolverine gave Nightcrawler something of a feral grin. It took a lot to hide how much that grin bothered him.

"Good thing I ain't no dog, huh?" And then Logan leaped up and grabbed Kurt. At the same time, Jean flew over to grab the target.

Wolverine had a good grip on his slightly wounded hand. Kurt bit back the groan in pain, but he couldn't hide the full on grimace. Wolverine's grin grew wider and he tugged down, bringing Kurt down to the ground. Before Kurt could even register the feeling of his body hitting dirt, Wolverine threw him at Jean. He landed right on Jean and they both ended up a good few feet away from their target. Kurt groaned and rolled off Jean.

"I thought you couldn't catch telepaths off guard," he muttered to Jean.

"I thought you said you could handle him," Jean shot back, trying to concentrate on levitating the target to her. Wolverine caught on to her plan and started to charge for them.

"I was lying," he said, eyes widening a bit, "you knew that!"

He 'ported onto Logan's back before Jean could respond to him, then 'ported them away from Jean and the target a few times over, leading away from the two. Logan's healing factor would probably help with recovering from the travel, so Kurt decided to 'port up. He was a few feet above the ground before he 'ported again. Then again, then again. Finally, they were high enough for Kurt to try his next move. He jumped off Wolverine then landed a good hit on his back, aiming for a pressure point and using gravity to strengthen the hit. Wolverine could heal from almost anything physical, so Kurt could go as hard as he could on him.

Kurt landed a few more hits on Wolverine as they fell and, when they hit the ground, Kurt 'ported again, far away from Wolverine. He tried to catch his breath as leaned against a building. There was that sickening feeling of vertigo that he usually got from using his powers like that. He took a deep breath. Ugh, he was going to puke.

Soon enough, the simulation ended and Kurt found himself on the floor now. He heard footfalls from his left and opened his eyes to see Logan standing over him, a bit peeved. Kurt gave him something of a sheepish grin.

"Did we win," he asked. Logan shook his head with a grunt.

"_Was_?" He sat up with a frown. Logan pointed behind him to Jean who was sitting there with a very haunted expression on her face. Kurt's tale wagged a bit faster.

Slowly he stood up. At the same time, Scott and Kitty came in, both with worried expressions on their faces.

"Jean?" Scott crouched down to give Jean a good look. Kurt frowned once he saw her face clearly.

"Her eyes," Kitty whispered. They were black.

"Jean?" Scott tried again, his voice taking a panicked edge to it. "Jean!"

Then Jean blinked, and looked at Scott, confused as ever. Her eyes were their normal green again.

"What?"

Scott looked over at them for help, not knowing what to say. All the teens looked over at Logan, who held a grim expression now. Kurt felt like Logan knew exactly what was going on.

"I think you need to see the Professor," he said. She still looked confused, but she let Scott lead her out.

Suddenly, all of Kurt's problems felt really small.

**OoOoO**

That night, Kurt felt feverish. His body was heating up to unbearable levels and he still couldn't find a way to sleep. He tried working out to exhaust himself, like he did the day before, but after the work out he felt dizzy. At first, Kurt thought that the method was working and that he was getting tired. But as he was leaning against the outside of his bedroom door, he realized that something was wrong. He was still sweating.

"_Professor,_" Kurt mentally called out, "_Professor!_"

"_What is it, Kurt?_" Came the reply, sounding a bit concerned.

Kurt tried to reply back but the words didn't seem to come up. Kurt slid down the door, hugging himself as he started to panic. There was something very wrong going on. The heat seemed to be increasing but now Kurt was getting the chills. He looked at the closed doors in front of him. Honestly, he couldn't be the only one experiencing this!

Slowly, Kurt's vision started to fade. The last thing Kurt remembered seeing was someone rushing over to him. Really, he did try to listen when the Professor told him to stay awake, but he couldn't.

Kurt blacked out.

**OoOoO**

At first, Jean was confused. She was suddenly standing a huge white room. At least, she thought it was a room. There was portraits hanging all around her. Upon closer inspection, Jean saw that the portraits were moving. Each portrait was housed within a different frame; warm colors for happy-looking portraits, darker colors for the not-so-happy looking portraits. Then Jean got it. She was in someone's mind.

She looked around, wondering why she was here. Then she remembered. She was answering a distress call. She must have gone to the source of the problem to see what was wrong. She understood now. Except she didn't. Her powers didn't do that. She didn't do that.

There were four portraits that stood in the middle of the room, covered by veils and held in clear containers, floating. Jean stared at it curiously. They were repressed memories. Whose repressed memories?

"Oh, Jean. What are you doing here?"

She turned around surprised and saw Kurt. He had his head tilted at her and he was smiling. He was wearing a white button up dress shirt and black slacks. Jean looked down to see that she was wearing a silky black top and skirt. Both of them were barefoot. Jean looked back to Kurt. Strange mind.

"You... you sent a distress call," Jean said, "You were asking for help?"

Kurt looked confused for a moment before he walk past her to start straightening the frames. Kurt nodded his head, though.

"I think I did."

"Why?"

Both of his hands paused at the bottom of one frame as he tried to remember. Behind him, a new portrait appeared.

"Hot," he said, "I couldn't breathe. It was so hot."

The picture whirled in colors before it turned black. Kurt gave Jean a smile.

"I'm sure I will remember it later," he assured her. Then he continued walking again, heading to the four portraits in the center. Jean followed.

"Are you okay?" She was eying the clear containers with a wary expression. Two of them were cracked.

"Yes," Kurt answered, "I believe so. How're you?"

"I..." She didn't know. Jean frowned. She suddenly felt like something was wrong as well.

Kurt turned to her and gave her another grin. This time, it was almost knowing. He laid the back of his hand on her forehead.

"You are burning up," he noted. Maybe he was right, his hand felt so cold.

"I wonder what Scott's doing right now," Kurt said absently as he pulled his hand away. Jean frowned, then tried to reach out to her boyfriend telepathically. No response.

"You know," Kurt whispered with a teasing smile "I think you might need some help, too."

He was right, again. Because this didn't happen. And she didn't know what to do.

"I'm lost, Kurt," Jean admitted, "I was trying to help... and now I'm lost."

Kurt frowned and laid a hand on her shoulder. The feeling of his hand didn't register, but the emotions of peace he wanted to send her did. Jean blinked a few times.

"I wish I could help you," he told her, "but I'm just as lost."

Jean met Kurt's gaze and they seemed to have come to something of an understanding. On her right, another portrait appeared.

"I have to go," she told him. And Kurt nodded.

"Visit again, okay?" Jean nodded in reply.

Something told her that this may be the last time she would ever see Kurt so calm.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes:** I... seriously fail. I was trying to get these few chapters beta'd, but I fail at constant communication. So, this chapter is currently unbeta'd. I will go back to edit it, but I thought it was a bit unfair to leave you guys hanging (especially if I set my own goals myself). So, thanks to the constant readers (and reviewers, and lurkers). I'm open to any suggestion/feedback.

And... here's the new chap (of the new year, woo)!

* * *

**Blackbird**

Chapter 3: Panic

When Mystique came back to take full control of the Brotherhood (_again_), Wanda really didn't mind. There was enough food for them to eat monthly, the boarding house finally got it's repairs, and Mystique even gave the group a small allowance every week. Plus, she now had something to do.

Like reading this survival manual lying on her bed. It was something Mystique gave all the Brotherhood members for their basic training. They would all read this, show her in some form or another that they can apply what they've learned from the novel into their lives, then they can go on to learn other useful things. Wanda took a look at it and realized that she actually knew about some of the things that the manual was telling her.

Like the fact that fire can purify water. It was something that Agatha Harkness taught her a while ago. She even knew how to start one without using her powers. Agatha had also taught her a few spells that would get some water from plants, the ground and other areas. She did need to know that first aid training though. Maybe she could even go to one of those Red Cross places. They taught first aid and CPR. And she did have enough money to pay for it.

The knock on her door pulled Wanda from her thoughts. The door opened a fraction and Wanda saw her brother peak a head in.

"Wanda?"

She raised an eyebrow in question and waited for her brother to continue.

"Uh, we got food," he finished lamely.

Wanda gave him a glare, expecting to be some type of drawback from this. But her twin just stared back, looking as innocent as a man like him could look. Wanda sighed. She could wait until later, Pietro would save some food for her if she asked.

"There's potato salad," he added, with a nervous smile.

It was a silent plea for her to come down. To join them. She looked at her brother carefully. It didn't look like he was lying to her, but then again, he was a good liar. Pietro sat down in front of her and laid a hand on her shoulder.

"It's just food, Wanda," he assured her, "just eat then leave."

Wanda hesitated, then nodded.

The boys really weren't doing anything special. Which was saying a lot, considering who they were. They were just talking. Like civilized people. Insane. Lance, Todd, and Fred were sitting in a semi-circle, eating pizza and watching some program on TV. Wanda paused by the doorway for a moment. She really couldn't remember a time when they were all together like this. They looked... normal. Wanda almost smiled at the sight.

A hand on her shoulder blade brought Wanda's attention to Pietro. She repeated his words in her head. _It's just food. Just eat then leave._

It wasn't, and she knew it, but the words helped. She took a step into the room then sat next to Lance. Her brother sat right next to her. The boys were looking at her, waiting for her next move. Wanda shifted a bit to get comfortable then took a good look at the food laid out in front of her. There was pizza, chips, wings and other various things. Wanda frowned; there wasn't any potato salad though. She looked over at her brother but before she could voice her thoughts, Pietro nodded his head to Lance.

Lance held out a small container to Wanda. She stared at it for a moment then took it. It was cold and taped on one of the sides. Slowly, she opened the container. It looked like potato salad. A spoon was handed to her. She took a bite. Then closed her eyes and smiled. It was potato salad the way she liked it. From her right, she heard Pietro's sigh of relief.

**OoOoO**

"You are capable of doing a lot, Wanda."

Wanda looked at her mentor, with something of an exasperated look on her face. Of course she was capable of doing a lot, she wasn't stupid. She nodded her head regardless of her thoughts. She also knew that she was the only thing holding her back. Agatha gave her a knowing look and nodded her head. Her way of saying their lesson was over.

Wanda sat down, tired. The grass she was sitting on was still wet with rain. Even after the rainstorm that brought Wanda to the X-Men's home, a few more showers followed the days after. Wanda wasn't even sure that there was a day where the sun shone for longer than an hour.

She looked around, realizing that Agatha had already left. Wanda honestly didn't know if there was a time when she actually saw the woman leaving.

Wanda sighed as she held her hands out in front of her. Her hand gestures were only used for concentration, according to Agatha. Her actual powers came from her mind. She stretched her fingers and watched as little blue bolts of blue energy flickered between them. If this was true then maybe the day she finally bypassed this little weakness, she would finally see just what exactly she was capable of.

Her hands were starting to glow with energy now. What exactly would she even do with those types of powers. She didn't have her brother's type of personality, so she wasn't big on pulling pranks, and she wasn't anything like her father, so there was no big agenda. She was pretty useless without a purpose. Wanda frowned and clenched her hands, the glowing blue energy disappearing completely. Slowly she stood up and looked around her.

She was in the woods for training this time, and she set her red jacket at the base of one of the trees in case she forgot which way she was supposed to go home. Which she did. But that wasn't what was bothering her. There was someone else lurking about in the woods, and wasn't some type of wood animal. She narrowed her eyes and looked around her.

Trees were surrounding her completely, and shadows were covering the areas between them. So there was no way she would be able to see anything. She closed her eyes and took in a slow breath. She ran a hand through her hair and listened.

Footfalls.

Wanda frowned and opened her eyes, her trench coat was on her right and the sound was coming from her left. She took another slow breath. She was just being paranoid. Other people walked through the woods, there were animals lurking in these parts; it was probably nothing. She walked over to grab her coat and then continued walking. She put on her jacket and increased her pace. Then she started running. Wanda convinced herself that it wasn't paranoia or fear that was making her run, but she her need for exercise. There was probably still some adrenaline rushing through her body.

She finally made it to the street at the end of the woods. Luckily there wasn't any cars rushing through them so she continued on to the other side. She slowed down and started walking along the road as she caught her breath. She looked over at the woods as she continued on.

There was nothing there.

She shook her head and continued walking. Of course there wouldn't be anything there. The was never anything there. But every time she was alone, she could have sworn that there was somebody there watching her. It felt like somebody was just watching her, biding their time so that one day they could just snatch her or something. Considering what happened with the sentinels, that outcome wasn't too far outside the realm of reality.

Her feet sloshed a bit as she walked through some mud. That uncontrollable fear started up again. She didn't want to be held in any type of jail. Where they would do experiments on her, just to satisfy their curiosity. She didn't want to be locked up in any type of facility. She didn't know what they did in there but it didn't take a genius to know that those places were bad. Wanda resisted the urge to hug herself. She was still out in public and people could be watching.

When Wanda finally made it home, she was greeted by Toad. With a disgusted frown, she sent him outside the window where he landed in a puddle. Wanda clutched her head, feeling a headache coming on. From the corner of her eye, she could see her brother's concerned look from the corner of her eye before she turned away. Wanda gritted her teeth as she slowly made her way up the stairs.

This wasn't a headache.

Wanda shook her head in an attempt to banish the pain, but it only brought a weird feeling of vertigo. She crouched down at the top of the steps, using both hands to clench her head.

"Wanda?"

Through blurry eyes, she could see her brother kneeling in front of her with a worried expression. She didn't miss the look of guilt that quickly passed his face. She glared at him and pushed him away, her powers amplifying the force. She let out a pained groan before she tried standing up again.

"Wanda, please. Calm down." It was Pietro again.

She gritted her teeth again, this time in anger. _Calm down?_

The lights in the hallway started to flicker and Wanda could hear the sounds of the boys downstairs shouting. She leaned back against the wall, trying to take her brother's advise and calm herself. She felt his hands on her shoulders and strangely enough, Wanda felt a bit calmer. She shook her head again in an another attempt to clear it. She opened her eyes and locked eyes with her brother.

"It's okay, Wanda," Pietro whispered, "you're okay."

She let out a sigh and the lights stopped flickering. She could still hear the boys swearing downstairs.

"It's okay," Pietro repeated, "I'm here. I won't leave you."

There it was again. That look of guilt. Wanda narrowed her eyes at him. He knew what was wrong with her, didn't he? She pushed him away from her and Pietro released his grip on her shoulder in surprise. She pushed him again, this time down the stairs. The other boys came rushing to the stairway to see what all the commotion was about. Wanda sent a cold glare at Pietro, who was laying on the bottom of the staircase in shock. There was a throbbing pain in her head but this time, the anger was pushing through the pain.

"Woah, Wanda! What's going on?" It was Lance with a nervous expression on his face. Blob was standing behind him, just as scared as him with Toad somehow making it onto his shoulder. She regained her balance and focused her attention on her twin. He looked more terrified than any of the men there.

Wanda slowly made her way down the stairs and almost simultaneously, all of the boys moved back. All except Pietro. She narrowed her eyes at him, not really knowing where all of this hostility was coming from. She stopped right in front of him and stared him down.

Things didn't feel right; _she _didn't feel right.

She stepped past him and made her way out of the boarding house. She just needed to get away from there. From people. From her brother. There air outside was getting colder, but it was still daytime. She didn't want to go down to the warehouse, in case it rained again. She didn't want to go to the park, there were too many people there. Wanda sighed, she couldn't even go back into the woods. There were people there too.

So she continued to just walk, letting the wind caress and and calm her. The throbbing pain was slowly dissipating, and that strange sense of panic was slowly leaving her.

She felt empty... dark. There really wasn't a proper way to explain it. It was like everything was wrong, but she could even remember what it was. She slowed her walking to a light pace, and looked down at the ground. There was something missing, but not? It was confusing. She was confused. And she just couldn't trust anybody well enough to tell them about it.

Wanda swallowed and slowed her pace to a stop. She shoved her hands into her pockets to prevent herself from hugging herself. She furrowed her eyebrows. She didn't even know if the hugging herself thing had to do with her problems as well. Wanda looked up at the sky, wanting more than anything to cry out. Maybe she was over thinking things. Maybe all of this fear and paranoia was coming out of nowhere.

Wanda looked down again, turned around, and started walking back. Whatever the source of all of this was, she had to find a way to get rid of it. There was a big possibility that she would just kill all of her roommates one day if she didn't.

**OoOoO**

Pietro sat on the steps of the porch, waiting for Wanda to return. He didn't know what was going on with his sister, but what ever it was, it was obvious it wasn't good. The look in her eyes... it was just like the Wanda he saw when she first came here.

He knew that something like this would probably happen; Wanda going batshit. Magneto was a smart man, but when it came to cutting those loose ends, he was pretty much the biggest dumbass to walk this earth. Pietro sighed. It was for her own good though, she was going to kill Magneto. She was going to kill _him_. They had to do _something_ to stop her.

It was no secret that Magneto favored Wanda more than Pietro. And even with all of the experiments conducted on Pietro, he still wouldn't make his father proud like he made Wanda proud. Wanda's powers came naturally, without Magneto's aid. Pietro was really the second best, he knew that, he wasn't going to challenge that.

But Wanda had potential. Not just to be a powerful mutant. But to be normal girl, a happy one. His sister was basically the shining light of the family. She kind of stood for all of the good things that would happen in the family. Until she started rebelling against Magneto. Magneto couldn't control her then, so he had to send her away. She was dangerous. Pietro bit his lip. No she wasn't. She had the potential to be dangerous. But only to Magneto.

Pietro closed his eyes. He felt guilt. But not for letting Wanda have her memories wiped. And not even for letting her get sent to the asylum. But he knew that maybe, there was a way he could have stopped any of this from happening in the first place. Maybe then, he would have had his sister back then, instead of having a shell of one now.

There was also that small amount of satisfaction in knowing that Magneto held on to Pietro longer than Wanda. It was a sick feeling, but it was there nonetheless. Wanda would always be the favorite, but Magneto kept Pietro longer. There was something wrong with him.

Pietro ran a hand through his hair, frowning. It still wasn't right though, was it? Now Wanda was slowly regaining her memories. He could have ignored it before, saying that it was all just due to stress or some shit.

Pietro stood up and went back inside the boarding house. Last thing Wanda needed to see was Pietro's face. He slipped inside his room and laid face up on his bed. Wanda real memories were mostly likely wanting out. And now there was a bigger chance of her becoming more fucked up then she did back then.

He stared up at the ceiling. He wasn't able to help her back then. He didn't bother righting his wrongs when he was given the chance. And now there was an opening just there for him. He could help his sister, make things right again.

And he didn't know what to do.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes**: See, I'm going to be so harsh on myself for this chapter. I feel like I'm missing some valuable information here and as a future med student, that's just unacceptable, lol. I also need to move out. Like soon. Living with people isn't fun. TV's biggest lie right here.

But oh wow, you guys are amazing. :) Thanks for staying with this story, guys. And welcome, new readers!

* * *

**Blackbird**

Chapter 4

Kurt was surprised that he woke up in his room. He was still dazed and his body felt heavy. But he could move his head. To his right there was his bed stand. He never really held much there, just his alarm clock. He blinked, feeling his vision going blurry then turned his head to his left. Kurt smiled. It was his sister, hunched over in a chair sleeping. It was a bad position for her to relax in, but it was great to know that she was watching over him. Kurt tried to flick his tale, but even it felt as heavy as the rest of his body.

"Rogue," he tried to call out, but something was off. He couldn't speak. She stirred a bit, but didn't wake up. He tried again, feeling himself falling back to sleep. This time she did wake up. Belatedly, he realized that she wasn't reacting to him. She was just waking up.

She rubbed her eyes, smudging her makeup then looked over at Kurt. Her green eyes twinkled as she grinned at him.

"Kurt, you're okay." She moved to give him a hug, then thought better of it.

She helped Kurt sit up on the bed.

"Now, I'm gonna give you somethin' to drink then I'll get Mr. McCoy," she told him, "I think you might be the first one up."

Kurt gave Rogue a confused look. First one up?

She reached down on the side of the bed and pulled out a water bottle then helped him drink the water. As he drank, Rogue spoke.

"They're saying it's something with the heating. Grew to unbearable levels and all the guys on this side of the mansion got a heatstroke. Put everyone affected in a coma."

She pulled the bottle away from him and gave him a concerned look.

"Can you hear me?"

Kurt nodded.

"So, I'm gonna go get Mr. McCoy. We can see if you're okay and change your vest and sheet," she told him. Kurt nodded again. She hesitated for a moment before lightly running her gloved hands over his cheek.

"You're going to be okay," she whispered, and Kurt smiled back. He was sure she was saying that for her benefit as well as his. She stood, gave him a parting glance then left his room.

Kurt sat there, trying to get his bearings. It felt like he was still dreaming, he felt every bit hazy, and he was so confused. He tried to get out of the bed, but he felt a strong sense of vertigo and he collapsed on the bed, feeling numb. Slowly, Kurt started noticing things that he didn't before. Like the drip he was attached to. Like the fact that these weren't his regular covers. It felt like there was a big gap in his head, he felt so disoriented.

He was falling back into his slumber when Rogue and Mr. McCoy came into the room.

**OoOoO**

His dreams were strange.

The varied from black and white images to images with colors he didn't even realize existed. Sometimes, they made sense. There was one where he was in Germany, talking to his brother. It wasn't a memory, he knew. Stephan wasn't the type to talk about strange things.

"_Promise, Kurt_," Stephan pleaded, "_promise you'll do this._"

"_I don't kill_," Kurt replied, "_and you wouldn't do that_."

Maybe it was a memory. It did seem familiar. He wished he could remember.

Other dreams weren't extremely weird, but they still didn't make sense. There was another, where he was inside a cathedral, preaching. The peculiar thing was just the people around him. The looks they gave him... such admiration. Such hope.

"_By waiting and by calm you shall be saved_," Kurt quoted, smiling, "_in quiet and trust your strength lies._"

Beautiful dream... but unrealistic. God doesn't want demons in his sanctuary.

Sometimes, his dreams blurred with reality. He didn't catch it at first, but later on he did. In his dreams, Amanda and Kitty would comfort him, tell him everything was alright, while Mr. McCoy would try to keep his attention.

"Wake up, Kurt," Kitty and Amanda would tell him, "they need you out there."

"Can you hear me Kurt?" Mr. McCoy would ask. He could, he just wouldn't be able to respond.

When his dreams were like this, Kurt never wanted to wake up. It felt like he was going insane, because he didn't know what was a dream, and what wasn't, but it was something he could deal with. Something familiar.

Other times, Jean would visit Kurt. He thought it was Jean. She was a peaceful presence in his mind. There was an understanding between them. Today, she was with him in his mind.

"A coma," Kurt repeated. Jean nodded.

"Scott, Bobby, and a few others are still out," she said, "you're still the first to show some recovery."

They were sitting in the white room again. It was a peaceful place for them to just talk. The dreams he had was filled with too much chaos for Jean to properly sort through without messing him up. He looked at Jean. It seemed like she was a little messed up too.

"How is Scott," Kurt asked.

Jean sighed and shrugged.

"I don't know," she whispered, "I... just can't."

Kurt gave Jean a concerned looked.

"Why not?"

She gave him a guilty look before she answered.

"I think I might be the reason behind this whole thing..."

Kurt had stared at Jean for the longest time, not knowing what to say. He shook his head and looked at the four portraits in the centre of the room. Only one of them was void of its glass casing, the rest were showing scratches and cracks. Jean had stood and announced that she had to leave. Kurt told her that he wouldn't tell anyone of the conversation they had, should he even remember it. The look of relief on her face brought a smile to his.

**OoOoO**

Sometimes, the Professor visited him. The meetings felt long, but the Professor had smiled in his all knowing way and would inform him that no, he had been there for only a few minutes.

"Telepaths are a strange bunch," Kurt mused, as he lead the Professor through the white room of portraits, like he did with Jean numerous times.

"So are the minds we encounter," the Professor shot back with a wry smile.

Kurt's tail flicked in response, liking this side of the Professor. It was still strange to see the man walking, but it was his mind, meaning none of this was truly real. There was a door on one end of the room and Kurt let the Professor lead him from there.

"It's been a while since I've been in here," Xavier said with a thoughtful expression.

Kurt shrugged, "I suppose..."

They were walking through a hallway and it held portraits of each person Kurt had met. The Professor walked by each of them, expression never changing, even as he walked by portraits of the Brotherhood, Mystique and Magneto. Kurt had paused at the Brotherhood's portraits.

The one thing that surprised Kurt was that he bore no ill feelings towards them. Not now anyway. There was a small amount of resentment, but that was simply because Mystique was their leader. Kurt frowned as he walked to the portrait of his mother. She didn't have a smile on her face, but she didn't have her usual sneer on her face either. the only question that crossed this mind was just "who is this woman?" In his mind, this was a very valid question, considering the type of woman she is, and the nature of her powers. Kurt wondered if she knew herself.

From the corner of his eyes, he could see the Professor patiently standing, waiting for him to continue on with whatever was going to do next. Kurt looked down, and walked over to the Professor. He let him wrap a comforting arm around his shoulder as the continued down the hallway. Kurt wondered if he would ever be this honest with himself like he was now.

As if hearing the question, the Professor squeezed Kurt's shoulder. It felt like he was saying "no, you won't, but it's good to know that you are capable."

**OoOoO**

With the Professor counseling him in his mind and Mr. McCoy prodding him in the physical world, Kurt found himself making a slow, steady recovery. Kurt heard in passing that the others were making a steady recovery as well. Jean, Rogue, and now Kitty were permitted to visit him on a regular basis now that he was lucid enough to respond to McCoy's questions.

Kitty was an animated visitor, talking and smiling and generally keeping him distracted from any dark thoughts that threatened to enter his mind. Jean was a calmer version of Kitty, opting to talk to Kurt or listen. Kurt found it hard to ever think negatively with her around. Rogue, however, understood Kurt for what he was.

She would sometimes talk to him about a book she was currently reading. Her tastes in literature were different from what he expected the Southern Goth to enjoy. Romance novels to sci-fic collections. Strange girl. Sometimes, Rogue would tell her of the outside world. They were all working to get the boys in working order at the moment. Still, no one knew the cause of the collective heatstroke. Sometimes, Rogue would just sit beside Kurt quietly. He loved those moments the most; Rogue looked so relaxed.

He found that Logan and Ororo had visited him regularly as well, but only when he was unconscious. One day though, he did manage to catch Logan once. The Canadian gave him a grunt, saying, "Next time, Elf, warn a person before you stink up their gym."

His only response was a fanged grin and: "Herr Logan, being the only occupant of the gym does not equate to being its owner."

He could hear Mr. McCoy laughing in the distance and he could see Logan's proud smirk.

**OoOoO**

Kurt's proof that he was getting better came in the form of Jamie Maddrox.

Kurt was sure that the boy had snuck in. He could see that Jamie was looking around with that fearful look that he adopted from Bobby. The look that expressed his knowledge of getting caught and his fear of getting caught too soon. Bobby stole that look from Kurt. Jamie tilted his head at Kurt, expression suddenly void of his previous nervousness. He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it. Kurt watched as Jamie looked through one of his pockets and pulled out a pack of cards. A lazy smile eased onto the German's face.

"I don't know how to play any of the hard stuff," Jamie informed Kurt with a pout.

"'S okay," he replied, trying to sit himself up, "you can choose the game."

The only help Jamie gave him was when he needed pillows behind his back to keep himself vertical. Aside from that, Kurt did his own work. His sloppy reaches for the cards were never called out by Jamie, and Jamie didn't complain about the time it took Kurt to do certain actions. They played a variety of games. Gold fish to solitaire. Hearts to war. And all through it, Jamie kept up conversation for the both of them.

"Bobby's waking up," Jamie said, and there was a hint of relief in his voice, "so are the others."

Jamie reached for another from the deck. They were playing another round of solitaire.

"How are they doing," Kurt asked.

"I don't know," Jamie admitted, "nobody will tell me. I heard that you were the only one doing stuff though."

Jamie laid the card down in it's rightful place, looking at Kurt with expectant eyes.

"Probably means that they don't have enough information to give out," he assured Jamie. He reached for a card in the deck. His movements were slower than he was use to but they were becoming a bit more fluid since he had been playing with Maddrox. Finally, he picked up a card. Ace of spades. Cool.

**OoOoO**

It took Kurt a while before McCoy let him out of the medlab. It took even longer for the others to show the type of progress that he showed himself. Time was spent doing physical and mental therapy. Kitty and Rogue still spent their time with Kurt (Kurt wondered sometimes if they were forced to do it). Kurt started teaching Jamie how to play cards.

His moves weren't as quick, and it took the longest time for him to keep his German out of his English. But he was making progress, and that was all that mattered.

Things weren't going to be like they were before, Kurt realized. But he knew that it wasn't necessarily a bad thing.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes**: Okay, not dead, in case you're wondering. Testing came and then my birthday was on Sunday so I was mostly offline for that period of time. But heeelllooo again!

A small biblical reference to Samson and Delilah in this chap. A small cameo of Pietro's ultimate universe uniform (which no lie, was pretty damn awesome). A whole bunch of refs to the book _Ordinary People_ by Judith Guest. (I couldn't stand it at first, but then it grew on me. But to be fair, I was forced to read it in 10th grade when we could have been reading _A Clockwork Orange_. Yes, I'm biased.) Go on a read it, if you want to read some heavy stuff.

* * *

**Blackbird**

Chapter 5: Ordinary People

It took Wanda a while to realize that Pietro was avoiding her. It wasn't because she was that dim or anything, it was simply because she wasn't focusing on the people around her. Mystique announced that their first mission would be coming up soon. So Wanda decided to use the free time that they had to strengthen herself. Wanda had perfect confidence in her mutant and magical abilities, but she wouldn't be able to defend herself is someone had somehow taken her abilities away. She had to make sure that there was just no way to stop her.

So between work out and combat sessions and going that CPR class, Wanda really didn't have the time to even think about anybody around her. But eventually she did catch on.

**OoOoO**

Lance was in the kitchen this morning, eating cereal. Wanda gave him a look of acknowledgment before going to get her own bowl. She could feel the rock tumbler's gaze on her, even as she she poured her milk with her back facing him. She stared at the big bowl. Her appetite was starting to grow a bit as the weeks passed. She wasn't at Fred or Pietro's level of eating, but it felt like she was getting there. Silently, she made her way to the table and started eating as well.

Lance was still eating, but Wanda noticed it was a little bit slower than usual. Spending enough time with her father taught her that this was basically a "manly man's" way of searching a person. Wanda resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She met his gaze but Lance didn't let up. He was still giving her that curious searching gaze.

"What?"

Lance shook his head and looked down at his bowl. They spent a few more minutes just eating before Lance cleared his throat.

"Have you seen Pietro?"

So this was what it was about? Wanda shook her head and took another spoonful in. Lance let out a grunt and finished his bowl. Wanda watched with narrowed eyes as he quickly left the room. What the hell was he trying to tell her?

Wanda ate quickly; she was sure that around this time Toad would wake up and no doubt bug her. She really didn't have anything to do today so she was simply going to make it her relaxation day. Since her freakout that other day, Wanda really just steered clear from dealing with the source of the problems (whatever they may be). The boys weren't the extremely nosy type so they never mentioned that day either. For which, Wanda was grateful.

She finished her cereal and went up to her room. Of course, the boys probably had other shit to do themselves. She really didn't know. They were close, but not that close. She let out a low hum in thought and ran a hand through her hair. She really didn't really know what to do with herself right now. Wanda frowned, she really didn't need a day off if she wasn't going to do anything productive. There was a knock on her door and then Lance popped his head in.

"What now?" She narrowed her eyes at him.

Lance opened the door all the way with his hands held up in a gesture of surrender. Wanda crossed her arms and waited for him to continue.

"Um, Mystique asked us to do a little job for her," he explained.

"What kind?"

"Just supply shopping," he answered, "the mission date was moved to tonight so we need to get our stuff together."

Wanda nodded and grabbed her coat from the bed. She really didn't have problems with that. It was something of mundane task in her head, but at least she had something to do now. Lance followed behind.

**OoOoO**

"So did she say specifically what we needed?"

Lance shook his head.

"Not really. She just said it was going to be an information gathering type thing. She said, it was going to be pretty dangerous though."

Wanda looked around in the small market with a contemplative look. Then they would need a first aid kit and something to use as communication. And something to hide their tracks as well. She voiced her thoughts to Lance and he nodded his head.

"We have $150, though. So we'll work on first aid and communication," Lance said, "I think our powers can cover our tracks well enough."

He gave her a grin as a small tremor went through the shop. The other customers looked around in a mix of surprise and fear. Wanda rolled her eyes and almost smiled. Moron. They made their way to one of the aisles with a cart and started their shopping.

Wanda grabbed some burn ointment and bandages while Lance grabbed some random things like wires and disposable phones. Wanda raised an eyebrow at that but made no comment. He apparently knew what to do. Wanda saw some eyewash solution and looked around for the cheapest one. She was sure that the expensive stuff was made from the same shit anyway.

"Did Mystique even say what type of information we're gonna be getting?"

Wanda looked over to Lance, who was crouched down comparing one headache medication with another. She frowned; there really needed to be a way where he could bypass the headaches. The expressions he made when he was using his powers were incredibly disturbing. Lance met Wanda's gaze and shrugged.

"She didn't say," Lance answered her, "I'm guessing it's a need-to-know type of thing."

He turned his attention back to the medication and Wanda started looking for a cheap pack of gauze that still had good quality. Faintly, Wanda heard laughter. She didn't pay it any attention the first time she heard it until the laughter became louder, closer. She recognized that laughter.

"Hey," Lance started, oblivious to the thoughts in Wanda's head, "you think Mystique would mind if we spent some of the money on somethin' for us?"

Wanda shrugged, but looked around trying to find the source of the laughter.

"Hell if I know," she answered, narrowing her eyes as she gazed beyond the aisle. She saw shadows. Lance let out a snort in mirth.

"Crazy blue witch," he muttered, "I wonder where Mystique even got all this money anyway."

Wanda was about to reply until she saw two people standing at the end of the aisle with surprised expressions on their faces. Kurt and Kitty. Wanda stared back, just as surprised. Then blinked and looked over at Lance. He was still oblivious to the two newcomers. She grabbed small box of cough medicine and threw it at Lance's head to get his attention. His head jerked in her direction with irritation in his eyes. Wanda glared right back and pointed at Kurt and Kitty.

"Your Delilah's here, Samson," Wanda shot at him. She heard Kurt's snicker and resisted the urge to smile. She was in public, with X-geeks. She still had a reputation. Lance looked over Wanda's shoulder at Kitty and his eyes widened in recognition.

"Just keep her away from your hair," she muttered as Lance passed her. Lance gave her a sneer in response.

The pair went over a few aisles down to talk, leaving Wanda with Kurt. The X-Man gave her a grin in greeting. She responded by giving him a smile with her eyes. He walked over to her and looked at the objects she had in her hands.

"I didn't take you for the spiritual one," Kurt said as he made a grab for the small package of gauze in her right hand. Wanda shrugged.

"I'm not," she said as she reached for another pack. $4.50 for a three-pack. Kurt let out a low hum.

"I didn't take you for the talkative type either." He raised an eyebrow at her. She didn't miss the hint of humor in his eyes.

"I'm not," she repeated, narrowing her eyes in a false challenge. The holographic projection of Kurt gave her a wide grin.

She turned away and put the smaller pack away, replacing it with another $4.50 three-pack one. Maybe they could find a way to a dollar store and get some cotton balls.

"So what's with all of the medical supplies," Kurt asked. The look he was giving her was reminiscent of the one Lance was giving her earlier at during breakfast. Wanda let him pry. If he heard anything about Mystique, then his questions mostly had to do with familial issues, and not his duty to the X-Men.

"Ever been at that place?" She gave him a raised eyebrow and left it at that. Kurt laughed and scratched the back of his neck.

"I don't know how you could live in a place like that," Kurt said with another laugh, "especially with someone like Toad."

Wanda let a grin slide onto her face. She didn't know either.

"You know I got a cold from lurking around you?"

Kurt put a hand to his chest in mock offense.

"Me? How?"

"The rain..." she trailed off and looked up at him.

It was true though. Two weeks had passed after their meeting in the rain before Wanda finally stopped sniffling. She gave Kurt a glare. Each day felt like a month. A long, painful month. With Toad and Pietro at her bedside. Agony.

"Can't blame me then," Kurt simply said, walking past her to look at the other things on the aisles, his moves were a bit sluggish, "it was the rain."

Wanda rolled her eyes. She looked around for anything else to add to the first aid kit. She knew that Pietro could add a few things to her outfit in less than a minute, so she wasn't worried about getting new fingerless gloves. She looked down at her fingers with a frown. Her powers seemed to be burning the material her gloves were made of. She was sure her brother had something that could at the very least make her new gloves last longer. Maybe whatever the material he was using on his costume.

She looked over at Kurt, realizing that she had been quiet for this whole time. But it seemed that he was in a world of his own as well. He was looking at some of the containers on the bottom shelf, but Wanda could tell that he wasn't really focusing on the stuff in front of him. Wanda sighed; his thoughts really couldn't be that pleasant, considering his knotted eyebrows and tense stance. She thought of something to distract the man from her thoughts. Too much thinking could ruin a person.

"You know," she said, "I still need to return your umbrella."

Kurt blinked then smiled at Wanda. He shook his head.

"You mean Ororo's umbrella," he corrected, "she was the one who gave it to you."

Wanda shrugged. "I still need to give it back."

"No you don't," he said with a little laugh.

"I should give it back though," Wanda insisted.

Kurt rubbed the back of his neck in thought. He looked at Wanda with a contemplative look. She raised an eyebrow at him in return. Then Kurt smiled at Wanda. A genuine smile. But it was gone just as quickly as it came, replaced with what Wanda knew now as his fake smile.

"Are you available tonight," he asked. She shook her head in response. He looked at her as if he wanted to ask what her nightly activities were going to be, then seemed to think better of that.

"Tomorrow then," he tried. Wanda somehow found herself smiling at his accent. She nodded.

"There's a park nearby here," she said, "we can meet there. At three."

She made sure her voice made no room for argument. Kurt nodded. Wanda almost wanted to laugh; all of this for a stupid umbrella. She reached up and grabbed a few cold packs, each 50 cents. Wanda looked around with a sigh. Maybe she should have written a list before she left.

"You don't have any rubbing alcohol," Kurt noted as he looked at the objects in her shopping cart.

Anti-septic. Right. Forgot about that. Wanda walked took the cart and went over to the next isle. Kurt followed behind.

"What are you doing here," she asked. Kurt gave her a shrug.

"Kitty needed brain food."

Wanda held back an insult that almost involuntarily escaped her. Kitty did show some initiative when she was looking for people to help with Apocalypse. That involved some type of intelligence, right? Then again, she's still with Lance. Though, Lance may be the idiot in that situation.

"Can I ask you a question," Kurt asked as Wanda stopped in front of a row of bottles and containers.

"Go ahead," she said distractedly. How is one bottle one dollar, when the other one of the _same size_ is four?

"Is... is Mystique really back?"

Wanda blinked and looked over at Kurt. His expression was so hopeful, but worried at the same time. Wanda's eyebrows knotted. Saying no would imply that they had something to hide, right? Saying yes would bring more questions. She looked away and tried to focus her attention on the anti-septic wipes.

"She is."

Kurt was oddly quiet as she grabbed a couple of the one dollar bottles and wipes. Of course Kurt may have a lot of other questions to ask. Mystique was the boys mother. Anybody who had Mystique as a mother would have a shitload of questions to ask. Especially if said mother wasn't in the child's life as much as she should be. Wanda knew that better than most.

"I see," he said finally. There was a trace amount of anger in his voice. Along with disappointment.

Suddenly there was low tremor. Some of the objects were bumped off of their shelves. Wanda frowned as she heard the confused customers complaints. Lance. Wanda looked at Kurt who gave her a confused glance in return. Wanda was surprised that there wasn't any arguing from the (former?) couple.

Suddenly, Kitty was seen walking at the end of the aisle. If looks could kill, nearly half of the people in the shop would have been dead. Kurt gave Wanda a parting glance and ran after Kitty.

A moment later, Lance was walking toward Wanda. His jaw was tight, and his hands in his pockets. It was obvious that the two had broken up, but the look in his eyes was a new thing for Wanda. Then again, she wasn't around long enough to see Lance when he first broke up with Kitty. He probably got all types of pissed before turning mopey.

Wanda laid a hand on his shoulder.

"You gonna be okay?"

He didn't look at her as he nodded.

**OoOoO**

Wanda had plenty of time before they needed to meet up with Mystique for a briefing. She didn't want to spend all of that time by herself, in fear of her thoughts going in directions they didn't need to go. But she didn't want to deal with anybody else either. Not when she had nothing in common with Fred. Not when Lance just broke up with Kitty. Not when Toad was being... Toad. And not when she couldn't find Pietro.

So she opted for a shower.

She was staring at her reflection with a frown. She wasn't big on hot showers, so there wasn't any steam covering the mirror. But she was completely dry now, wrapped up in her towel. Staring at her reflection.

There was something off putting about mirrors. She didn't know what, but it bugged Wanda. She lifted her arm and watched as her mirror image did the same. She let it drop to her side, and it did the same. She stood there observing herself. Her hair was growing a bit more. It was transforming into a classic pixie cut. Wanda wondered if she should cut it again. Then decided against it. It was bad enough that she was related to Pietro, she didn't need to look like him.

She stared at her reflection.

"Haven't lost your sense of humor after all," she told it, "but your sense of identity is what seems to have been misplaced."

She shook her head and turned away from the mirror. No. Wrong. You don't lose what you never had.

**OoOoO**

Pietro sat there staring at his new uniform. He took off the padding and armor and redid the suit's design. It used the same color scheme as before but it was made of the new material that Mystique supplied him. It was a lighter shade of blue on one side, and a dark one on the other. The suit covered everything from his neck to his calves. He even made new boots to work with too. They were white, but they worked well with the outfit. This would be the outfit he wore for regular missions. Ones that didn't require him to be all secretive.

He had another uniform made in darker grayish silver color. It was just as form fitting as his silver one. This one came with some padding though. It was sort of those outfits that one would expect one of those secret agents to wear, the way it was designed. The only thing it did show was his face and his arms. He had the option to wear fingerless gloves for this outfit though. And this would be the outfit he would wear for special missions. Like this one.

As far as he knew, all of the Brotherhood received new outfits (or had the option to change their outfits). He knew for sure that Lance and Toad had changed theirs. Wanda and Fred he wasn't sure about.

He laid back on his bed. Their first mission in quite a while. His third time doing something without Magneto running the show in the background.

He wasn't going to act like Magneto was the worst man to ever cross this earth. He did agree with a lot of Magneto's views. Almost everyone in the Brotherhood did. Magneto just sucked as a father. From experimenting on his son, to locking his daughter in mental institution, Magneto was the worst man to ever be gifted with children. Pietro closed his eyes. Or maybe they just sucked as his kids.

He thought of Mystique. That blue bitch had two kids as well. And even though she fucked them up royally, she at the very least tried to make amends. Magneto didn't even do that with them. Even after Apocalypse. He just stayed with them for the trip back to America and disappeared. No, they weren't bad children. Magneto was just a coward. A manipulative coward.

The door to his room opened and Pietro shot up on his bed. It was Wanda. Pietro didn't miss the bags under her eyes. She looked a little off from her usual self. Her short hair was disheveled and she wasn't wearing that much makeup.

"I need new gloves," she informed him, showing her destroyed gloves. The ends were a little burned and scratched up.

He gave Wanda a skeptical look. This was what she came to bug him with? A small portion of his mind was glad that she wasn't going off on him, like last time. A bigger portion of him was glad that she wasn't bringing up that day either. He tensed up in suspicion.

"What am I supposed to do about it?"

Her eyes narrowed but surprisingly that was the only threat she gave him.

"Lance mentioned that your new suit is made of pretty strong stuff," she told him, nodding her head at the two outfits sitting on his bed.

"Yeah and?"

He took a small amount of pleasure in seeing her grind her teeth.

"I need new gloves," she said slowly, "made of that material." She paused.

"Unless you can't supply me with them."

He looked at his sister with a smirk, answering the challenge.

"Of course I can," he said.

His sister rolled her eyes again and left his room, not bothering to close the door. And there it was. Like the argument from before didn't happen. Like she didn't freak out at all. It was almost like he had his sister back.

**OoOoO**

Wanda, Lance and Pietro made the first team while the others remained outside as backup. She crinkled her nose as she followed the two boys down the hallways of the building. It looked like a regular retail building, but it was way too empty on this floor. She glanced over at her brother, about to voice out her opinion on this but she saw the tense and serious expression on his face and reconsidered her position. She kept her body charged and alert, looking out for any cameras or detectors. This really seemed like a mission Mystique could do all on her own, why did they need them?

Finally, they stopped at a locked door by the elevator. Wanda glanced at the last door at the end of the hallway, oddly feeling nervous. She looked behind her while Pietro tried to open the door. This was just too easy.

When Pietro opened the door and the trio snuck in, Wanda opted to stand by the door. The room was fairly small but it was filled with numerous file cabinets and computers. She watched as Pietro riffled through the cabinets at a high speed and Lance as he pulled out two flash drives while trying to hack in to one of the main computers. This was obviously their department and area of expertise.

Wanda continued surveying the room, noting that there was only two windows and one other door in this room. No sign of a mechanical ventilation in here, and still no cameras. She switched her weight from one leg to the other and leaned back against the wall. The small med kit and lunch box in the backpack she wore dug into her lower back. The fact that the other two weren't talking at all managed to make Wanda a bit more anxious. She flexed her fingers and felt an electric-like current of energy bolt through her fingers.

Then she heard it.

Alarms.


	6. Chapter 6

Notes: OMG, look at all the time that's passed! D: You know those people who have all this stuff to do (job, school, kids or a significant other, etc) and can still update regularly? Yeah, totally not me. Haha, sorry. I'm not dead though!

Consider this chapter an interlude, or something. 'Cause the shortness of this chapter and the action in the next kinda made it that way.

* * *

**Blackbird**

Chapter 6

Kurt found himself watching Kitty. He was monitoring her activities, making sure she was eating like she normally did, making sure she wasn't attacking someone out of misplaced anger.

But Kitty actions didn't indicate anger, not even sadness. She seemed more worried than anything else. He sat at one of the stools in the kitchen as she paced around the island, occasionally giving Kurt a considering look. Finally, she sighed and sat next to Kurt, with a slightly guilty expression on his face.

"You know Mystique is back, right?"

Kurt nodded, his tale flicking in agitation.

"Well, remember the last time she came back? What if she's making them do stuff," she continued, wincing a bit at her word choice.

"It's a thought that did cross my mind," he said after a moment, "but the Brotherhood are relatively harmless."

"Yeah, but when she's not around," she added, giving Kurt a pained expression.

He returned her look with a wary frown, looking away when Kitty started biting her lip.

"We have to tell the Professor."

Kitty nodded but asked, "Will he be mad? You know, about not telling him sooner?"

"I have never seen the Professor angry..." he trailed off.

His tail wrapped around the stool's legs before unraveling. Kurt stood up and started heading out the kitchen. He heard Kitty's footsteps trailing behind him.

"Now?"

"We won't do it otherwise," he replied as they reached the hallways.

**OoOoO**

The Professor, as Kurt expected, was incredibly calm as Kitty told him everything that might be relevant to share. But from the corner of his eye, Kurt could see Ororo's increasingly worried expression and Logan's oddly expressionless face. When Kitty was finished, Xavier turned his attention to Kurt.

"Do you remember what was in the shopping carts, Kurt?"

Kurt frowned and looked down.

"There was a lot of supplies to make a first aid kit, some snacks, and..." he shook his head and continued, "a few disposable phones... and that's all."

Xavier nodded, his frown turning grim.

"Thank you Kurt. Kitty."

An obvious dismissal that the two teens weren't offended to receive. Kurt and Kitty all but ran out of the Professor's office, heading down to the kitchen again. Knowing that the X-Men weren't types to just let things lay, they might as well get enough energy for whatever it is that they were going to do later on.

**OoOoO**

The surprise came when the Professor decided to see the Brotherhood's plan go into action, rather than stopping them before even reaching their location. He said that there was something more different about the way they were currently operating, even with Mystique back in charge. And what with the team being a bit out of practice, it was best to wait this battle out.

Kurt was willing to wait but there was still that fear that this may be a mistake. That not stopping them now meant that multiple consequences for the X-Men and all other mutants. He couldn't help but think back to when the Brotherhood was temporarily considered heroes. Then the whole fiasco that happened afterward because they decided to wait it out.

The thing that made Kurt worry was that grim expression that entered the Professor's face when he told them of his decision. It was as if he knew something wrong would happen but that he had no other choice but to stay on the sidelines.

What would even make him do something like that?

**OoOoO**

During the night, Kurt was upside down on the ceiling relaxing. He watched as the light from outside snuck through the lights and altered the shadows in his room. He stared at the very plain sheets, focusing on one particular corner. His eyes drifted to one side of his bed where there a small pile of books sitting on the floor. All of them except one were textbooks and notebooks from school. The last one was a tiny bible that he had with him when he lived in Germany. He trained his eyes on the bible, particularly the folded red paper sticking out of it. A flier for the circus, he knew.

Kurt closed his eyes and took a deep breath, he could hear someone running towards his room. He knew it was Kitty by the softness of the sound. He squeezed his eyes, as if the action would freeze time, and sighed when Kitty phased through the door, calling out Kurt's name.

"Kurt, you have to come out here. You need to see this."

The urgency, Kurt knew, should of made Kurt rush into action, but instead he kept his eyes closed. He could feel her stare, but aside from the clenching and unclenching of his eyes and hands (that Kitty wouldn't of been able to see regardless), he didn't make any other outward signs of acknowledgement.

"Kurt?"

Finally, he opened his eyes and stared down at Kitty, her blue eyes seemed to glow in this setting and her face was still flushed. And while he knew he should say something, he could only think back to a time when that exact look that she was giving him right now use to take his breath away when he was younger. He blinked, then shook his head, trying to break that train of thought.

"I'll be down in a while," he told her, watching as the anxious look on her face turned to concern.

"You ok, Kurt?"

"Yeah," he replied, as her concern mixed with skepticism, " I'll be down in a while."

She nodded, obviously still wanting to say more, and towards the door, giving Kurt a parting glance before finally leaving.

Absently, Kurt wondered if he would actually see Wanda tomorrow.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes:** Many many thanks to the people who're still reading this. And sorry for the massive delay (school loves me). Also excuse any crappy show of medical information, haha, I'm still learning. Since I'm totally rusty on doing narratives (I've been doing these basic essays), tell me how I'm doing guys, plot wise, word wise, all that jazz, it would really mean a lot to me. (Also, everybody wish me luck - I'm applying to my dream college soon. I hope I get accepted!)

* * *

**Blackbird**

Chapter 7: Lucky Today

It wasn't until she had to find a way to drag Pietro to shelter - while still managing to have a free hand to defend herself should she need to - that Wanda wondered why exactly she went out of her way to do stuff like this. For _Mystique_ at that. Dragging the dead weight that was Pietro, she thought back to the speeches both her brother and father would give. It was possible that yes, they _were_ the next step in evolution.

It was possible that they had a point, that because of their fear, the humans will inevitably kill all the mutants. But it's also possible that no, humans and mutants can coexist. It wasn't something that Wanda actively thought about. She had enough to worry about.

She made her way to an alley of hopefully two abandoned buildings and took the time to survey her surroundings. Lance stayed behind to keep those mechanical creatures from following their trail. She closed her eyes at that; smaller, faster, and slightly more efficient than the sentinels. If those things got any of them...

They had got what they needed, but now the issue was where to go from here. Toad and Blob weren't responding to her communications, and neither was Mystique. She felt the onset of a headache, and she clenched her eyes more shut, blocking out her panic and trying to think of her next steps.

Pietro's health was first, she decided, then a place to rest for the night would be second priority. She opened her eyes and looked around again, almost expecting something to be right there to capture her. She looked at Pietro. And found him staring right back. She froze when she saw the black eyes. But there were no broken bones, but it was possible something could be sprained. Not big wounds, but he had tiny little cuts littered all over him. Both stayed silent as he tried to sit up.

Wanda brought out the medkit and started tending to both their wounds.

**OoOoO**

"I can't see anything," Wanda muttered to Pietro.

"Look harder, I know it's there," he snapped back. And if Wanda kicked Pietro on the seat that was his shoulders, well that was simply an accident.

They were at a building that Pietro sped them to. He claimed that there was something he needed to get that would help them out and it could double as a place to rest before they decided whether or not it was safe to return to the boarding house.

The whole time they were there, Wanda had been eyeing Pietro while trying to seem nonchalant about it. It was possible that Pietro could tell what she was up to, but if that was the case, he never let on. Pietro was just too calm about this, and knowing her brother, there was always a good reason why.

Wanda continued to blindly feel around, and she was just about ready until the back of her hand hit something unusually warm. She patted around, then tried to move the object. When she could, she nudged Pietro with the heel of her foot.

"Found it."

"See if you can lift it," he told her, not missing a beat.

Wanda felt out the object, then tried to properly balance herself on Pietro with no hands and reached for the object, a box, then slowly lifted it, then hugging it to her chest. Pietro eased her down to the floor and took what now Wanda saw as toolbox and walked away to set it on the table. The toolbox was black, locked with a combination and a key lock and dispute all the dust Wanda felt around on that ledge, the toolbox was remarkably clean.

She watched Pietro pull out a piece of jewelry, a ring to her surprise and she watched him use the jewel attached to the ring to open the first lock. He moved a little to fast for her to catch the combination of the other lock, but Wanda noted that the last number was 34. She was pretty sure Pietro was slowly opening the toolbox for dramatic effect, because when it finally opened, there was no bomb, no smoke screen, extremely loud or sudden noises aside from the small buzzing of what Wanda recognized as a vibration from a phone. She walked closer to her brother, her fingers tinging with her power should something happen.

"Relax Wanda," Pietro rolled his eyes.

"What're we going to do about the others?"

Pietro shrugged, as he glanced down at the small little phone vibrating in his hands.

"You should go find something to eat," he told her distractedly, and sped off, leaving Wanda to stare blankly at the spot he was just in.

**OoOoO**

Pietro had decided that it was best for them to split up and head towards home. That way, if they were being followed, there would still be a chance to get all the information over to Mystique. The found civilian clothes in the building (Wanda wanted to ask how they had their exact measurements, but this was Pietro she was dealing with), and all edible foods and split what they had collected, with Pietro giving her specific directions on how to head home from here. He had sped off in the direction they came from, and Wanda had the slight hope that her brother was going back to see if Lance was okay.

From what Pietro described, she was a long walk and two bus drives away. Glancing around, the neighbourhood, Wanda realised that this area was close to where District X was. She knew _that _area well, and threw Pietro's directions out of her head. She'd be home by tomorrow morning as apposed to late afternoon tomorrow.

There was nothing to occupy her thoughts but what she would have to do when she got home. If Mystique would concider this mission a flat out failure, or if, given the fact that the whole "espionage" part of it was kind of a bust.

It was supposed to be a simple in and out kind of thing, from what she understood but the more Wanda thought about it, the more things didn't make sense. If it was a simple starter mission, why not go small then work their way up? But it was just a retail building. With private files. And high end security. Mystique must of known that. Pausing midstep, Wanda frowned.

_Mystique all of planned this to happen._

**OoOoO**

When Wanda reached home, she found that only three of the others were actually there. She searched the three guys' faces, stopping at the matching set of her twins. All of their faces were just as blank as hers. Afraid to ask where the missing Brotherhood member was, Wanda walked passed them and headed straight for her room, suddenly more tired than she originally thought she was.

She curled onto the bed, on top of the covers before stretching out fully and sighing in relief. Stretching more, Wanda felt her back pop in certain places and her calves ache in the just the right way. She sucked in a big breath then puffed it out when she curled back in on herself. She could hear the movement downstairs and the excitement of nature outside, but it was all fading out. She could deal with everything later, when her mind felt as rested as the rest of her body.

**OoOoO**

"So where is he then?"

"Not here, _obviously_."

All the males in the room watched as Kitty's face turned red. Wanda was focused on the fact that Kurt was the one accompanying her. Kitty made a move to hit Pietro, but Pietro zipped right behind her to whisper something in her ear and grinned as her face turned even more red. Expecting the girl to huff out of the house, Wanda was surprised to find her marching to her spot on the stairs, heading directly towards Lance's room.

Obviously, Pietro could of stopped her - in fact he tried - but Kitty simply fazed through him and kept marching on up. Wanda rolled her eyes at the fact that both Toad and the Blob followed behind the two shouting teenagers, knowing full well they were only going to be spectators this time.

"Oh mein Gott, Katzchen," Kurt muttered, exasperated and suddenly standing right beside where Wanda was sitting.

She silently applauded herself for not jumping in surprise before promptly scolding herself for not being aware of other mutant even moving beside her. She wondered if that was just one of Kurt's natural abilities or if she was being unaware. Today he was opting for the holographic version of himself. Wanda still wasn't quite sure if she approved of this version of the mutant. She did however like that he kept up appearances and had this version of himself with short hair. She wasn't sure if the whole tugged shirt into the boxers while wearing khaki cargos was to her taste. She hoped these fads changed. Soon.

The shouting got louder upstairs and Wanda frowned. Her brother was enjoying the argument. Meaning he was going to drag it out as long as he could.

She stood up and headed outside, knowing that the German mutant would be following right after her.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes:** D: I have been slacking like no other, my goodness! So double chapter to make up for it? y/y? Thanks to those reading, and those reviewing, and those who have put me in their alerts. You guys are legit the reason why I continue this story.

Also, I'm not quite sure what happened with this story. Haha, it's taking a straight up detour with these two chapters but now it seems like it's going back on track. Lol also, slight (a lot?) of fluff in this first part. (And a lot of it had to be rewritten because I'm doing a rewatch of the show, trying to keep it as accurate as my memory can make it.) Also, I'm am totally flipping out about First Class!

* * *

**Blackbird**  
Chapter 8:

In the back of Kurt's mind, he knew he should be focusing on why Lance was gone. It was of course, none of his business, but with Mystique back, Kurt knew it would eventually become X-Men business. He glanced over at Wanda, who was more unreadable now. The thought of interrogating her (subtly, of course), entered his mind, but there wasn't much he would get from Wanda, he was sure.

Plus, Kurt was positive that she was just as clueless as he was.

Wanda wasn't going far. She was leading Kurt to the backyard of the boarding house, and if he remembered the layout correctly, nobody would actually see them. Kurt glanced at the building itself was solid. But there was chipped paint, random carvings, and burn marks all over and weeds were growing wild, surrounding nearly the entire grounds. Surprisingly enough, the outside was free from litter. Kurt figured it was due to the fact that none of the Brotherhood members were actually big on yard work. He knew none of the X-Men, himself included were.

Kurt glanced at one of the open windows, remembering when he had snuck through it to see his mother. Kurt frowned and glanced over at Wanda. That was their first official meeting, wasn't it? Did she even remember that?

There were two sets of benches in the back. He wondered if they were always there. But then again, why on earth would they just randomly bring them. Though they looked like they could support the weight of three, maybe five people, there were even weeds and small little insects hugging the bench legs.

He watched Wanda not quite plop on the bench and stood there blinking for a second when she looked over at him expectantly. His tail swooshed nervously behind him and instantly Wanda's attention was drawn from his face to his tail. He tried to calm himself, but his tail still flicked and waved, even as he sat next to Wanda. He was suddenly self conscious, the silence and her unreadable stare was just way too much. Everything felt awkward now. His tail did an incredibly violent whip, slicing through the air and keeping Wanda's attention for good now.

"Can I...?"

It took a second to understand what she meant, but after a moment's hesitation Kurt nodded with a reassuring smile. Wanda slowly reached over to his tail and Kurt braced himself. The touch, surprisingly enough, was gentle, and sent warm little shivers starting from the point of contact to his spine.

"What's it like," Wanda asked, fingers tracing the spade, "having a tail, I mean?"

Kurt shrugged, unsure of how to answer that. A reflexive, smartass "What's it like not having one" was at the tip of his tongue before hit bit it down and glanced at his watch, and the pale wrist that it was resting on. He thought of life back in Germany, and his home with the Professor. Then frowned when he thought of the world outside that.

"It depends," he finally answered, "it could go both ways."

Wanda sent him a searching look and Kurt pressed a button on his watch and kept his eyes on the skin changing to blue fur, not quite wanting to see Wanda's expression.

"At home, it's as normal as ever. Because the norm at home was never quite, y'know normal," he continued, smiling, "it's like having an extra arm."

He crinkled his nose, trying to figure out what he was trying to say. He suddenly remembered Amanda. And the questions he knew she had wanted to ask when they were together. The questions she did ask, but didn't quite know how to answer. Because back then, they were things he never quite thought of.

"Like, it feels as normal as having the powers..."

"But only around people who have powers too."

Kurt nodded, and finally look at Wanda. There it was, that incredibly unreadable gaze. Somehow, he knew that she was lost in her mind as well. He wondered if there were moments if the memories from who she was before tried to sneak up. He wondered if, despite being a mutant herself, if she was judging him. He wondered what Amanda was doing right if the next person she decided to be with was going to be a mutant as well. He wondered if Kitty and Pietro were still arguing.

"Do you ever consciously have to avoid using your powers?" Where did that come from?

Wanda looked over at him, dazed and confused, "What do you mean?"

"Well, sometimes, Kitty forgets to not phase through things when she's not thinking," Kurt explained, "she once phased through me... and left a ring in my stomach."

He left out the part where that actually happened on a regular basis. Then shivered at the unavoidable memory of her driving.

"Sometimes," Wanda muttered, stopping the ministrations on Kurt's tail, looking slightly guilty.

"Not really, unless I'm tired, or really out of it," she gave Kurt a sheepish look, "they don't know that though. I accidentally tripped Pietro when he was coming down the stairs a while ago."

Kurt laughed, "Really?"

Wanda nodded, looking away, "The one time he's not doing anything too."

Kurt laughed harder when he realised that Wanda was actively trying not to laugh at that. Wanda shrugged.

"It happens when I sneeze too," she admitted.

"I hate when that happens," Kurt groaned, "I have to play it off like it's on purpose, but it's like dude, no, not slick."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Wanda replied, raising an eyebrow, "nobody notices when I do it... maybe it's just you?"

Kurt laughed, "Okay, you believe that."

And finally there it was - as gone as fast as it came, a small little smile from the female Maximoff. Wanda suddenly frowned, giving a look over her shoulder at the boarding house before looking at Kurt again. She looked relaxed to Kurt, but for the first time since he had come over, he noticed how tired she actually was. Her eyes seemed baggy and though there wasn't any yawning, she did have a dazed expression on her face. There was a small insecure part of him that suggested that maybe she was just bored of him.

Wanda stood up and Kurt watched her sneak her arms into her over-sized shirt to warm up before she looked at him.

"Your umbrella," she frowned.

"Oh.." he said, standing up and walking with her back towards the front side of the building. Giving Wanda a grin before turning on in his inducer, he told Wanda to keep it.

"It will give me an excuse to come back to talk to you, da?"

His smile grew when Wanda simply nodded and when he turned and walked towards where Kitty was standing, fuming, Kurt hoped he looked as suave to Wanda as he felt right now.

**OoOoO**

Things at home were odd. Even though everyone moved, and acted, like they usually would, it felt as if there was this tension. Kurt wanted to chalk it up to everyone being restless after the heatstroke. Kurt would notice that there were more power-based accidents occurring all over the place. Even the senior members were having troubles. Scott accidentally blew part of one of the statues that guarded the mansion. Kitty phased two cars partially into the garage door (though everyone could agree that this particular incident didn't count; Kitty would probably manage that _without_ her powers). Kurt himself had a few moments of teleporting in the wrong direction while Rogue had a near accident when training.

But none of this matched the oddness of Magneto making regular visits at to the Professors office.

**OoOoO**

Kurt glanced over at Rogue, who was relaxing on her bed, staring at and flexing her gloveless fingers.

"Think it'll be possible if..." his sister trailed off, flexing her fingers again.

Kurt didn't answer, but he did look away for a moment when Rogue started to stretch out her hands, as if she were reaching out for another pair of hands to greet her.

"I mean, the Professor said it was more than possible," she muttered, more to herself now, "but I ain't about to get any expectations."

He stayed silent, still staring at her. He wanted to say that yes, there was a chance for her to actually be able to go sleeveless without worrying. But he wasn't a good liar. There it was, that pain he felt for his sister. He knew that she hated people feeling sorry for her, but it was impossible when it came to this. Kurt himself had to avoid touching some people due to the fur and odd digits, but he still concidered himself a tactile creature, very much thriving on touch. Nearly a whole lifetime, without any kind of skin contact... he didn't know how she did it.

"We're trainin' now," she continued, "takes a lil' longer for it to happen."

_But it still happens_, he thought, frowning. Still it _was_ progress.

"Let's try it out then?" He looked at his sister expectantly, not being the least bit surprised at her furiously shaking her head.

"Too much havin' all these things in my head... don't really wanna add another personality."

Shrugging, she went for her gloves. And as she was slipping on her gloves, slow as could be, Kurt wondered if Jean's new sudden introverted personality was because one of the personalities lingering in Rogue's head, was Scott's. As he watched his sister stand and stretch, he wondered, if Rogue wondered this as well.

These were random things he did want to ask, Rogue. But while he was every bit a brother to her, he still wasn't sure if she concidered him a brother. They both knew where Mystique stood in each other's eyes, they both went through a lot, yet... Kurt frowned, thinking of home. His original home. He hadn't called them in a long time. Did any of them miss him? Were they okay? He had siblings at home. He looked over at Rogue again, she seemed lost in her own thoughts as well. He wondered what kind of person she was before she discovered she was a mutant.

As the two were heading downstairs, the pair saw Magneto, not in his usual costume, heading out. They didn't cross paths, but the man did send a cool, unreadable gaze over at them. He didn't know about Rogue, but Kurt himself had to suppress a shiver that he knew would make him lose his footing and trip.

Kurt really didn't know what the two talked about; he honestly didn't know what the would want to talk about. But each time, both men seemed in brighter spirits, and even though the master of magnetism scared him, he did seem less menacing when him and the Professor parted ways. Kurt glanced at Rogue, and saw her glaring at him before stalking off. As he followed Rogue, Magneto gave him a nod in greeting before continuing on.

It was very possible that with all the visits, Kurt would eventually start addressing him in his mind with his first name.

**OoOoO**

The Professor was designing different types of training for each and every one of the X-Men. There were a few who couldn't really do power training, like Scott or Rahne, who's abilities were hindered by injury or mastered completely, respectively, so they were taken for endurance training. Kurt realised that through the training that he had a mighty big competitive streak.

With Logan, they would have insanely long sparring matches (he always lost but once, he managed to knock him out for a good minute!), with Bobby, they would see who could last the longest using their powers. Surprisingly enough, it was these contests that prompted the Professor and Storm to give Bobby separate training lessons. ("Potential, _some_ got it!" Bobby would always brag.) He'd race with Scott (with a lot of macho pride, Kurt one every time, no contest). He was looking for someone to teach him sword fighting. The only other person who actually knew how to do it was Logan. Kurt decided one day, he would ask. Anytime within the year was not one of those days.

Today, Kurt was doing something of a power test. He was trying to see how far and how many times he could 'port until he got tired. Almost exponentially, the distance and number or 'ports grew. Until the Professor asked to use Logan as a piggy back. He thought back to the rainy day when he was with Wanda. He strangely enough wasn't tired when he was with her (possibly because she was more petite than the burly Canadian), but Wanda was close to throwing up. But again, Kurt had to chalk that up to Wanda not being use that method of travel. Not only was Logan well acquainted, with his healing factor, it would be more likely that Kurt would pass out before he did. Logan was adapting faster and Kurt was still wondering at all the possibilities of his powers.

Kurt heard the Professor's soft tone to begin, and today, instead of going left or right, Kurt grabbed on tight to Logan with his arm and tail and went up. So high up that he could see the room that the Professor was in, and go higher. Then he really got started. The only thing that was heard was multiple bamfs and Kurt's laughter. Wolverine was making the ugliest faces; Kurt knew it had everything to do with the height not the high speed porting. More time passed and the time between each port was increasing, but Kurt was far from being tired. Now he had to bring distance into this and ported as low as he could before porting up again. It felt like thirty minutes had already passed when he started to feel light headed.

Three ports down before he became more sluggish. Kurt finally brought the two down to the ground and internally cursed at the fact that Logan was perfectly fine and walking around like there was nothing wrong with him. Blurry eyed and dizzy, Kurt made it to his room before finally passing out.

When he woke, he was glad to hear that yes, he did surpass himself this time. Not by a lot by his standards, but it was progress.

**OoOoO**

Kurt had to leave the room when the high pitched squealing began. With more of the old New Recruits coming back, Kurt, Scott, and Bobby found that there really were more girls running around in the mansion compared to guys. Something Kurt and Bobby _no_ problems with.

Scott's brother Alex and an extremely silent girl name Laura were actual new recruits, where some people like Ray, Amara, and Jubilee were making permanent residence with the X-Men. Warren and Boom-Boom made visits. Laura was rarely seen, and if she was, it was only around the adults. And after the Summers brothers bonded adequately to stop being connected at the hip, he and Bobby became fast friends and along with Kurt, they decided to go on a pull pranks on the unsuspecting public.

Which led to things like the situation they were in now.

Something Kurt had to admire about Tabby and Jubilee is that when they wanted something done, it got done. Still, as he laughed at the beautiful collage of Alex's boxers and briefs displayed in the main hallway, Kurt had to sneak away. Maybe if they didn't see him, they wouldn't target him next. But as he thought of the utter ridiculousness that he and Bobby left in Jubilee's room, he knew that wasn't true. So he snuck out and went on a small adventure. It wasn't going to be that bad if he refused to worry about it. And going out to enjoy the fresh air was a great way to relax and not worry. Plus, he had to go check up on that umbrella of his.

But Kurt realised that was a big mistake that was the second he saw Mystique leave the Brotherhood's boarding house.


End file.
